Babys First Year Blog
Freedom Nursing 2011! Day One!
Well. I would love to tell you that I parked myself in Times Square for Freedom Nursing 2011 Day One and just nursed away for all the world to see, but 1.) it was super rainy outside, and 2.) I had a hair appointment and Girls’ Night Out to attend to instead and 3.) whatever.
But! I did nurse without a cover at my hair appointment while having my hair colored. And there is one thing I did learn today about nursing when there is someone right over your shoulder painting your hairs and having the perfect bird’s eye view of you chesticular region:
The proper wardrobe is important.
Today I wore my basic at-home-nursing get up. Deep v-neck top I can stretch down and over, and dark wash denim skinnies (a dark wash hides a multitude of sins, right?).
Now, when you are nursing in public, the old “down and over” method is not so fantastic. Especially when you have someone taller than you staring directly into your cleavage areas. It’s just all boob. Right there. And as much as I’ve mastered the quick on-and-off, and even though Huck’s head covers just about everything (my boobs, not terribly impressive in size), I still felt a little exposed.
After all, the point of this isn’t to flash my boobs at everyone while I nurse just because I can, or for the sake of shock value, or to make some grand point: “I’m breastfeeding, get over it!” No, the point is to simplify my life and feed my baby efficiently and get over unnecessary paranoid and/or shameful feelings. Maybe also to be a nice reminder to the general population at large of what our ladies are for? No. Okay, maybe.
Also not at all about wardrobe, I asked my stylist if she minded before I hooked him up. I figure, she’s got a job to do, and maybe feeding a baby is too much movement for a precise color job? She was fine with it, though I did notice she went out of her way to avoid eye contact with my boob. Which is fine, I mean, eyes on the hair, right? But I wonder if there is a way to go about nursing in public so that people don’t feel the need to obviously look away. I wonder if that way is just to not mention the nursing to begin with? (You sort of have to clear these things with your stylist, though. I mean, you aren’t even allowed to cross your legs in those chairs for fear of crooked hair, so . . . )
Right, wardrobe! For Girls’ Night I changed into a drapey top with a stretchy cami underneath. Now we’re talking! The top goes up, the cami stretches down, and there is a nice little window for Huck’s face. Bam! Nothing showing! And if Huck gets distracted and pulls away? Gravity takes care of my modesty. T-shirt covering the nip! Taduh! Thanks, Gravity!
So, lesson learned. Dress appropriately.
Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 67 degrees. Sounds like the perfect weather for a little nursing break in Times Square don’t you think?
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8 Comments
j commented on Apr 20 11 at 1:34 amNatalie, I’m under the impression that you are Mormon. Hope I’m not getting too personal here, but if you wear g’s, ok wondering how those factor into the whole, “pull down the deep v-neck” situation. Garments are my biggest hurdle as it is hard to nurse without a cover and not show them?
Elissa commented on Apr 20 11 at 5:27 amOh, heck yes! The clothes if the hardest bit. I like wearing dresses, so I’ve been investing in frocks with buttons down the front. Sometimes I wear a cami under that too.
Katie commented on Apr 20 11 at 9:45 amI am due with my second at the end of May and I have already purchased about 10 nursing friendly tops (mostly ones with button plackets) because I am determined to nurse in public a LOT this summer. I was so uncomfortable NIP with my first, largely because I had to use a nipple shield and that just added a whole other layer of complication to the process. This time, no one is convincing me to use a shield and I am going to want to be out and about with my 2 year old in the summer weather and not covering my baby up under a blanket when she is hungry. I am actually feeling extremely confident. We shall see how that holds up!
H commented on Apr 20 11 at 9:53 amvis-a-vis the v neck… are you opposed to baring your mid section? isn’t it half obscured by your sweet baby’s body anyway? pull the top up to shield the view fom above. just call me the nursing fairy.
tara commented on Apr 20 11 at 1:11 pmto J,
ps, they have new g tops!! and they are awesome for nursing (and plain awesome)! i was lucky enough to be in utah about 2 weeks after baby’s birth and heard the good news…. they are caranessa tops, so same stretchy fabric, and shaped like a shade shirt- they pull down perfectly and are low cut enough to wear under a vneck. i’ve even stopped wearing those undershirts. they rock (kinda pricier than the other tops though)!
mindy commented on Apr 20 11 at 4:45 pmoooh ooooh ooohh!! and those new tops, help to hold and squeeze the other loose-ish skin (postpartum fun) into a place and keep it there.. love them, so worth the extra cha-ching!
SB commented on Apr 23 11 at 9:10 amI am just learning how to do the nurse in public thing…so hard – b/c one must practice in public…no dress rehearsal for wardrobe malfunctions!
chelsea commented on Apr 26 11 at 10:18 pm@J, with my fist, i used the nursing tops and they were fine. [i'm a dry silque fan, btw] and then with my second, i got really fed up with the necklines. it’s like, you tuck in the nursing top and even though the package says round neck, it ends up as a v-neck when you tuck it [maybe mine are too big, idk] and you’re trying to wear an already modest round neck shirt and the top was still showing. i finally gave up on putting the bra over the top and wore the top over the bra for a few months. so it was just a lifting of all the layers and exposing my baby rolls on the side. i figure if they can’t consult an actually lactating woman on the underwear she has to wear, i’ll just make do with what they give me. maybe a little justifying on my part…
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